OPDPS 125

“Calm down.”

Now was the time to stay composed. Aeryl steadied himself and looked at Lady Merel. As always, she wore a graceful and beautiful smile. That alone eased his nerves a little.

“For you to show such kindness even to a mere physician like me… I’m once again moved by your warm heart, my lady. But I fear that you may come to harm because of me.”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s not as if you’re being kidnapped—if you leave on your own, what can His Grace do? He’ll simply have to admit he lacked the charm to keep you.”

Lady Merel seemed to find the very idea of the Grand Duke being dumped amusing. Thanks to that, Aeryl was sure of one thing.

‘She doesn’t know who I am.’

If she were found helping the runaway youngest prince, it was the Emperor’s wrath she should most fear, not the Grand Duke’s.

Aeryl realized Lady Merel had only been pretending to know everything, trying to use him. If her gamble succeeded, she would benefit; if it failed, she wouldn’t lose anything. It was a worthwhile risk.

She’s so consistently herself.

He considered wrapping up the conversation and standing to leave, but suddenly remembered something from the earlier meal.

He had, out of habit, set his carrots aside on the edge of the plate. Sorel, upon seeing this, made a great show of steeling his resolve. Then, while the attendants weren’t looking, he speared all the carrots Aeryl had left and stuffed them into his own mouth.

When Aeryl stared in surprise, the boy winked at him, as if to say, Just trust me!

Adults don’t get scolded for being picky eaters. Still, in that moment, Aeryl had felt like he was thirteen again, touched to the core.

Back then, he had sat alone at a vast dining table, choking down carrots under the watchful eye of a tutor. Even now, the bitterness of that memory lingered. But from now on, whenever he thought of carrots, he suspected it would be Sorel’s wink that came to mind instead.

‘Right. When I think of Sorel…’

Aeryl changed his mind and decided to continue the conversation with the lady.

“You said once, didn’t you? That everything you do is for Sorel’s sake.”

“I did.”

“If you need my help for Sorel’s sake, just ask. You don’t need to make deals or threats—I’ll help you anyway. Sorel is my friend.”

The age gap made it a little awkward, but he’d decided just now to accept it—Sorel thought of him as a friend, so he would too.

“A friendship that transcends age. How poetic. In that case, would you side with Sorel rather than the Grand Duke?”

“…Must I choose one or the other?”

“Didn’t I tell you before? Who the true heir was. The Grand Duke will try to eliminate Sorel.”

“But these days, His Grace has been looking after young master Sorel, hasn’t he? He doesn’t seem to wish him any harm.”

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you right now… ugh—”

Lady Merel suddenly winced and pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Are you all right?”

“It’s just a common headache. No need for fuss.”

She steadied her breathing and waited for the pain to subside. Though she seemed used to this, the headache was evidently severe—she couldn’t even lift her head.

“Is it very painful? Since when have you had these? Let me take a quick look.”

Even though the patient was Lady Merel, he couldn’t ignore someone in pain. Rolling up his sleeves, he moved closer.

“Is now the time to be playing doctor?”

“Being a doctor is exactly why I’m here, my lady.”

Lady Merel didn’t object, so Aeryl stood and walked around to her back.

“You’ve had a proper examination, right? What did they say?”

It was not Lady Merel but the head maid who answered.

“They said there was nothing wrong. That it was likely nerve-related.”

Aeryl nodded, then pulled a pair of white gloves from the inner pocket of his coat and put them on. Gently, he began to press along her shoulders and neck.

She’s extremely tense. Her body’s on high alert.

The muscles don’t lie. Though she wore a calm smile, inside she’d clearly been quite agitated. He’d even seen flashes of hysteria during their conversation.

‘First, I need to calm her frayed nerves.’

Starting from the vertebra at the base of her neck, he pressed carefully up to the back of her head, releasing his pheromones as he did.

The omega pheromones worked like magic once again.

With each breath, Lady Merel’s rigid body slowly began to relax. Her expression faded, replaced by something softer—though less composed, she looked much more at ease.

“This truly is remarkable.”

Lady Merel was genuinely impressed. In just a short time, her body had relaxed astonishingly, and the headache had vanished. No medicine had ever worked this well.

“I figured easing the muscles wouldn’t be enough, so I exposed you to omega pheromones too. They’re particularly effective at calming the mind.”

“But I’m a beta. They still work?”

“To a degree, yes. See? I’m not a quack, am I?” Aeryl joked lightly.

“Don’t you resent me?”

“Pardon? Honestly, not really.”

“Why not? I’ve caused you quite a bit of trouble.”

“Well, yes, but it was all for Sorel’s sake, wasn’t it? I find mothers who fight for their children admirable.”

Aeryl was just stating his thoughts, but the words struck Lady Merel deeply.

She’d heard it all before—being excessive, using her son to gain power—but this was the first time someone had spoken to her positively.

As she sat in a daze, Aeryl returned to his seat. In the brief time he’d spent treating her, many thoughts had crossed his mind, and a question had formed.

“What if His Grace truly doesn’t mean to harm the young master? What then?”

“That question’s not even worth answering. The Grand Duke has hated us since the beginning. He seized the seat—there’s no way he’d leave us be.”

Lady Merel’s conviction was firm. After so many years of opposition, that was only natural.

Still, perhaps because her tension had eased, a crack showed in her expression. Aeryl, perceptive as ever, noticed her inner confusion.

Should he keep the conversation going a little longer?

“Even so, think about it. If His Grace truly means no harm to you or the young master, would you still want Sorel to become Duke of Asirion?”

At that, Lady Merel fell silent in contemplation.

Could she tell him the truth? Could she trust this man?

But soon she realized how pointless the question was.

Hadn’t she already entrusted him with the most precious thing in her life—Sorel?

The way he had treated her with care didn’t seem like the actions of someone with ulterior motives.

And above all, he had affirmed her efforts for Sorel as something admirable.

Little by little, her wariness toward Aeryl was melting away, to the point she no longer noticed it herself.

“No. I just want Sorel to live the life he desires.”

“I see. I think that’s best, too.”

Aeryl agreed readily.

So she has no attachment to the ducal seat. It’s not power she wants. She only wanted to protect Sorel from the Grand Duke.

If anything, she had accepted the Grand Duke’s position.

Lady Merel’s true intentions were nothing like what the Grand Duke had told him.

And vice versa—the Grand Duke had never intended to harm Lady Merel or Sorel.

She believed she was shielding them with her power, but to Aeryl, it was all a misconception.

The Grand Duke had already secured complete control over the duchy. If he had wanted, he could have crushed her and her allies easily. He had spared them—just look at how quickly he’d swept away Count Iskel .

In the end, it was all a massive misunderstanding.

It made sense, though. A stepmother barely twenty years old and a son in his mid-teens.

That alone would be uncomfortable and difficult to accept. The previous Grand Duke had likely done little to mediate.

The real problem was the previous Grand Duke.

If he was going to remarry, he should’ve chosen a woman closer to his age. What was the point of marrying someone less than ten years older than his own son?

Then, on a whim, he’d declared a newborn his heir and failed to deal with his adult son properly.

If he was going to lead the Great Purge, he should’ve at least revised his will first.

None of this would have happened if the previous Grand Duke had acted responsibly.

They fought the night he changed the heir, didn’t they? That must’ve been the old Duke’s fault too.

The thought left Aeryl feeling sorry for the Grand Duke.

The only family he had left was a stepmother and half-brother who mistrusted and guarded themselves against him.

He probably couldn’t even rest at home.

Though he leaned on Aeryl now for comfort and support, in the end, Aeryl was someone who would leave, whether his identity was discovered or not.

But if he could resolve this misunderstanding with Lady Merel, it would help the Grand Duke immensely.

He wanted to do everything he could to ensure the Grand Duke would be all right after he was gone.

Of course, he couldn’t ignore how much Sorel cared for both Lady Merel and the Grand Duke.

“Then, my lady. Let’s speak with His Grace properly.”

“Speak? We’d probably just end up arguing again.”

“I’ll help. It’ll be different this time.”

Aeryl was confident. With his skills in diplomacy and his pheromones, even two lions like the Grand Duke and Lady Merel could be made to talk.

Watching him, Lady Merel couldn’t help but think curiously—Why does he seem so reliable?